Raphael Dwamena, a famous striker from Ghana who played for teams like Levante and Zaragoza in La Liga, passed away this Saturday during a match of the Albanian Super League between KF Egnatia and Partizani.
Dwamena was 27 years old and collapsed in the 24th minute of the game. Despite immediate medical intervention and urgent transportation to the hospital by ambulance, the forward could not be revived.
“Our thoughts are with Raphael Dwamena’s family in this difficult moment. He proudly represented us 9 times and scored 2 goals. Rest in Peace, Raphael” was the message from Ghana’s Football Association.
The Albanian Football Federation announced that all matches scheduled for this weekend in all the championships it organizes have been postponed to a later date. A very sad story for the world of soccer.
Raphael Dwamena passed away during a match in Albania (@RaphaelDwamena/X)
Raphael Dwamena passed away: What was the cause of death?
In 2017, doctors detected a severe cardiac problem with Raphael Dwamena which would inevitably compromise his ability to keep playing soccer. However, the striker insisted on not leaving the sport. In fact, retirement was the main medical advice.
In 2020, following several similar incidents, Dwamena underwent surgery in Spain and, during that procedure, a device was implanted in his heart. As a result, Raphael was unable to play for nearly three years. Despite medical advice against returning to play, he insisted on doing so.
Who was Raphael Dwamena?
Raphael Dwamena was born on September 12, 1995, in Nkawkaw, Ghana. His talent was noticed by several scouts during a youth tournament held in France, leading to him being signed by Red Bull Salzburg.
In 2014, Dwamena made his professional debut while on loan with FC Liefering in Austria. Throughout his career, the forward played for various clubs including Austria Lustenau (2016-2017), Zurich (2017-2018), Levante (2018-2020), Zaragoza (2019-2020), Vejle BK (2020), Linz (2021-2022), BSC Old Boys (2022) and FK Egnatia (2023).
Undoubtedly, his pivotal moment came in 2017 when he scored 12 goals in 18 games for Zurich in just a few months. As a result, in August of that year, Brighton had everything arranged to sign him. However, his cardiac condition led to him failing the medical tests and his dream of joining the Premier League came to an end.
